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Living Without Reconstruction After a Mastectomy — Discuss prostheses, swimsuits, bras, and other options for women not having reconstruction or waiting for reconstruction.

I have some concerns about privacy with the full body scanners. I imagine that foobs will show up, and I'm not so sure the TSA will know what they are. Will I be pulled aside and patted down? If so, how private will it be? If it's private, I would be willing to "flash" by foob, but how do I then explain to my traveling companions who have no idea about my breast cancer (and no need to know), why I was pulled aside? Should I just opt out of the scanner and go for the pat down from the get go? Has anyone had any experience with these new scanners?

Otter: thanks for telling me about the "we wont fly" page. It would be nice if some of the bc organizations might put a little pressure on the government TSA for dignity of passengers. I take the train whenever possible but it is not always possible.

Thanks for that info, Celtic Spirit. Having had whole-breast radiation, I really haven't felt good about adding any more rads with the backscatter scanners. I'm flying out of Logan to Miami next week and am glad to learn that Logan swapped out its backscatter scanners and installed millimeter wave scanners in early Oct. I think Miami was an early adopter of millimeter wave scanners, so hopefully I'll find them there, too. So far, there are no apparent health concerns with millimeter wave scanners--let's hope we don't get bad news about them down the road.

My first encounter with a full body screener was last year. Not only do I have 2 artificial hips and an artificial shoulder, 2 expanders were now in the mix. No problems at all. I have been stopped at some airports for my hips and patted down in the "glassroom" but the pat down is nothing too.I think between the full body screening and the patdown, the screening bothers me the most. I can only imagine the person on the other side gawking at the freak on the screen.Silly thought , I know.

I fly quite often. I've been thru all the scanners & had many pat downs when wearing my silicone foobs. I've also had them taken my silicone foobs out of my suitcase. So now I wear the softies, put my silicone foobs in a big ziplock & have written breast prothesis, do not touch, on the bag. So far, no more pat downs, or TSA guys snickering & handling my foobs.

I fly a lot, and have had minimal problems at security. (I had a unilateral mx and wear a prosthesis.) Most of the airports I fly through use the millimeter wave technology, which they seem to alternate with plain, old-fashioned metal detectors. Usually I pass right through. A few times recently, I've been stopped for a quick check, for issues that had nothing to do with my mx. Once it was hairpins in my bun, once it was something on my leg (never did figure that one out). Both times the check was very quick and unobtrusive -- certainly not a groping, wouldn't even call it a patdown, really. More like a quick wave of the hand over the area in question. It's been a while since I had my fingers swabbed, though that's certainly happened more than once.

My impression is that TSA has become much more educated about what breast forms and/or implants look like on the screen, and are much less likely to stop people now than when the body scanners first came into use. Back then it seemed 50-50 whether I'd be stopped and have my bra area checked out. But even then, in my experience, the TSA agents were always polite and professional . . . I didn't like being reminded of how my body had changed, but I never felt humiliated.

Hope this is at least a little reassuring to anyone who's flying over the Thanksgiving holiday. Save travels, everyone!

Thanks, Linda. I still plan to drive as often as feasible, but reports like yours are reassuring. Maybe I just need to learn to relax about all this. No point arriving at the checkpoint with a chip on my shoulder!

I've had my first experience with TSAs new screeners...Philadelphia and San Francisco airports. Both showed the same positions under my arm and on my breast. Possibly the markers left for rads. I was told they wouldn't interfer with airport screening...at the time. I was patted down each viewing. I asked if there was a note from the doctor that could help. She answered simply that she is required to pat down when the indicators light up.

The pat down was brief. Still, it was an embarrassment. I don't look forward to the next screening that is certain to come. I came to the threads to see what others are experiencing and what alternatives there might be.

Thanks for the FB page Otter. Any enlightenment is welcomed. Any other ideas? I fly again on 9 Dec. :-(

Blunden, I'm so sorry that you have had the indignity of being pulled aside and patted down. I agree, it is not the pat down per se, it is the embarrassment of being pulled out as if you have done something. I don't have any advice for you but it has made flying very anxiety producing for me. I am pulled out at least 50 per cent of the time that I fly for having "a body anomoly". Sometimes I think that if they did a little more profiling and used their brains more than just a machine, we'd all be alot safer. Sending you a hug for your next flight.

Just last week went through the Scanner at Miami Intl Airport. Wasn't wearing the foobs. Yet something lit up in the chest area. I'd not been aware of any marker being left in place and said so. Took me a minute to realize it was the bra/vest zipper. Explained before she patted me down and she agreed that's what it was.

Then had to have the gloves wiped since had sleeves and gauntlets on also.

Left from Philly airport yesterday. I advised the agent of my experiences before I went through the scanner. I asked if there was anything I could do. He said I could opt for a full body search if I didn't want the scanner. I asked, "So that's the choice?". I went through the scanner. Lo and behold, I didn't light this one up. I don't know if their is AI built into the system that eliminates previous "no threat" alarms...or I was just lucky this time. Either way, I was happy not to be frisked...even if only that area. I did observe someone who opted for the full body search...not a choice I would make, I can say after watching, even though done with the highest of professionalism.

I'm a believer in security, it's the times we live in, I just didn't like being reminded of my physical short comings yet again. This too shall pass. Now I tell them what to expect.

What they don't tell you is that you can request that the patdown be done pivately. They don't tell you because it's a pain in the neck for them, but I figure, we pay their salaries with our taxes, we can request privacy even if it's inconvenient.